Looking for "gear" trade beads

[Luann Udell]

Years ago when I was buying trade beads piecemeal, I picked up a very few flat disk-like beads, opaque glass, that for all the world looked like miniature gears.  They were flat "wheels" with tiny teeth.  They that soft medium green you find in trade beads and yellow--those were the common colors.  I think they are about 7-8mm in diamter, and perhaps 2mm thick.

It seemed like they were EVERYWHERE at the time, and I thought I could always buy more.

I've been unable to find any more since then!  I bought a few strands locally of what I thought were very tiny versions, but they were actually heishi consisting of four beads--more like a Bali silver bead--too small and not enough "gear teeth" for my purposes.

Have these ever crossed the door at R&T?  Can you recommend a source?
Thanks!
Luann

[Russ Nobbs]

Hi Luann!

Sure we have them! Carried them for years! We call them  "flower spacers" or "flower spacer discs."  Stock number 22-507 and they come in specific colors. We have lots of the green.

Years ago these were mixed in with the Czech snake trade beads. We had 100's of strands from th 70's and finally sold thru them. We've seen them lately as the older beads (1920's???) and some newly made powderglass beads in black only. The new black ones are not quite as flat. I assumed the older ones are Czech, also.

http://snipurl.com/bffg will show you pictures in the online store.

[Luann Udell]

Hey Russ, these are not quite the same thing I'm looking for, although they fooled me, too!  '>   I bought many strands before I realized they were smaller, simpler versions of what I'm actually looking for.

My beads are bigger (about 9mm or so), more like those red-brown button beads you were looking for me a few months ago.  They are in the same color families, too, especially the green and yellows, which are the only ones I've seen in person.  And in the partial strand I bought which had the gear beads, there were also the flower beads you've pointed to.  

The smaller "flower" beads have either four "petals" that interlock slightly, or five "petals" that don't.  The gears have about 15 "teeth" and they really do look exactly like little gears.

I've posted a large (sorry!) image with samples of these beads here:  My horse necklace with gear beads

As we discussed on the Bead Collectors Forum, I think these are similar to snake vertebrate beads, the flower beads, and those button beads that come in brown, cobalt, yellow, medium green, pale pink, etc.  I think you called the buttons "Prosser" beads...?  

Thanks for looking!
Luann

[Luann Udell]

Hey Russ, these are not quite the same thing I'm looking for, although they fooled me, too!  '>   I bought many strands before I realized they were smaller, simpler versions of what I'm actually looking for.

My beads are bigger (about 9mm or so), more like those red-brown button beads you were looking for me a few months ago.  They are in the same color families, too, especially the green and yellows, which are the only ones I've seen in person.  And in the partial strand I bought which had the gear beads, there were also the flower beads you've pointed to.  

The smaller "flower" beads have either four "petals" that interlock slightly, or five "petals" that don't.  The gears have about 15 "teeth" and they really do look exactly like little gears.

I've posted a large (sorry!) image with samples of these beads here:  My horse necklace with gear beads

As we discussed on the Bead Collectors Forum, I think these are similar to snake vertebrate beads, the flower beads, and those button beads that come in brown, cobalt, yellow, medium green, pale pink, etc.  I think you called the buttons "Prosser" beads...?  

Thanks for looking!
Luann

[Luann Udell]

Hey Russ, these are not quite the same thing I'm looking for, although they fooled me, too!  '>   I bought many strands before I realized they were smaller, simpler versions of what I'm actually looking for.

My beads are bigger (about 9mm or so), more like those red-brown button beads you were looking for me a few months ago.  They are in the same color families, too, especially the green and yellows, which are the only ones I've seen in person.  And in the partial strand I bought which had the gear beads, there were also the flower beads you've pointed to.  

The smaller "flower" beads have either four "petals" that interlock slightly, or five "petals" that don't.  The gears have about 15 "teeth" and they really do look exactly like little gears.

I've posted a large (sorry!) image with samples of these beads here:  My horse necklace with gear beads

As we discussed on the Bead Collectors Forum, I think these are similar to snake vertebrate beads, the flower beads, and those button beads that come in brown, cobalt, yellow, medium green, pale pink, etc.  I think you called the buttons "Prosser" beads...?  

Thanks for looking!
Luann

[Luann Udell]

Hey Russ, these are not quite the same thing I'm looking for, although they fooled me, too!  '>   I bought many strands before I realized they were smaller, simpler versions of what I'm actually looking for.

My beads are bigger (about 9mm or so), more like those red-brown button beads you were looking for me a few months ago.  They are in the same color families, too, especially the green and yellows, which are the only ones I've seen in person.  And in the partial strand I bought which had the gear beads, there were also the flower beads you've pointed to.  

The smaller "flower" beads have either four "petals" that interlock slightly, or five "petals" that don't.  The gears have about 15 "teeth" and they really do look exactly like little gears.

I've posted a large (sorry!) image with samples of these beads here:  My horse necklace with gear beads

As we discussed on the Bead Collectors Forum, I think these are similar to snake vertebrate beads, the flower beads, and those button beads that come in brown, cobalt, yellow, medium green, pale pink, etc.  I think you called the buttons "Prosser" beads...?  

Thanks for looking!
Luann

[Luann Udell]

Trying for the sixth time to reply....
Short answer is, Russ, the strands you sell are the smaller (5mm), more flower-shapped beads, with 4-5 petals.  Mine are the same colors but larger (9-10mm) with about 15 "teeth", definitely more gear-like than flower-like.  Here's an image of them:
My horse necklace with "gear" beads
Thanks for looking, let me know if these toothy guys cross your path?
Luann

[Luann Udell]

Trying for the sixth time to reply....
Short answer is, Russ, the strands you sell are the smaller (5mm), more flower-shapped beads, with 4-5 petals.  Mine are the same colors but larger (9-10mm) with about 15 "teeth", definitely more gear-like than flower-like.  Here's an image of them:
My horse necklace with "gear" beads
Thanks for looking, let me know if these toothy guys cross your path?
Luann